Dr. Colton Blankenship is an Assistant Professor of Horticulture Weed Science and Extension Specialist for the Louisiana State University AgCenter.
My name is Colton Blankenship, and I am the new Horticulture Weed Science Extension Specialist for the Louisiana State University AgCenter. I am originally from southwest Georgia, where I grew up on a family farm that primarily produces cotton and peanuts. My dad was an Extension agent for several years in Randolph County, Georgia, which introduced me to Extension and helped to shape my future career path. I’ve seen firsthand the impact that Extension can have on stakeholders and am eager to contribute as a specialist.
I attended the University of Alabama and obtained a BS in Biology for my undergraduate education. I knew I wanted to attend graduate school and was interested in agriculture; this led me to North Carolina State University, where I worked under the direction of Dr. Katherine Jennings in Horticulture Weed Science for my MS and PhD. I worked in a variety of specialty crops during my time in North Carolina, gaining a deep appreciation for Weed Science and Horticulture. My work during my MS focused on the evaluation of flumioxazin in sweetpotato and cultural practices for weed management in sweetpotato. My work during my PhD focused on the evaluation of electrical weed management in a variety of crops including sweetpotato, cotton, peanuts, and cucumbers.
At NC State I had the opportunity to learn about and collaborate with the IR-4 Project. If you’re not familiar, the IR-4 Project is a program that assists specialty crop growers by conducting research necessary to achieve registrations of management solutions in specialty crops. This program is extremely impactful for the horticulture industry; I plan to continue this collaboration in my role at the LSU AgCenter to help obtain new registrations for Louisiana growers.
At the LSU AgCenter, my responsibilities include weed management in horticultural crops as well as turfgrass and landscape ornamentals. For fruit and vegetable crops, my primary goal is to develop a practical weed management and extension program that delivers meaningful information to stakeholders of all backgrounds. I will focus on integrated management programs, incorporating chemical, physical, mechanical, cultural, and biological management approaches to create comprehensive recommendations. The diverse array of fruit and vegetable crops I have worked with has prepared me well for this role! I am excited for the opportunity to collaborate with other specialists and stakeholders to begin addressing the weed management challenges facing the Louisiana horticulture industry!
If you are facing weed management challenges in Horticulture, I’d love to hear about them. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! I can be reached at CBlankenship@agcenter.lsu.edu. I look forward to working with all of you for years to come!